User blog:Scottick/Scottick's Favorite Music: Touhou Project
DISCLAIMER: NO ONE ON THIS WIKI OWNS THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS AND SONGS. Directory: beatmania IIDX (1st-10th) beatmania IIDX (RED-tricoro) beatmania IIDX (SPADA-SINOBUZ) Touhou Project Arranges Here we go again. This time, the game we'll be focusing on is... I'm assuming you're all inquisitive people, so the question you may be asking is... What is Touhou Project? The dojin game series (remember that it's a game series; the fans don't like it when people assume Touhou's an anime) all started when this guy called ZUN decided he wanted to make music for fighting games. Then he got the idea that it would be much easier to make a game himself so that he can share his music. So he did. And things just snowballed, resulting in Touhou Project becoming one of the most prolific game series ever. There are teams of game devs dedicated to making their own games universally renowned, and here comes this drunkard in Japan who achieves that all by himself. Oh yeah, ZUN does all the programming, character design, music, and art (his weakest point, though the massive amount of fanart compensates for that) by himself. As for the games themselves...apparently I have a thing for ludicrously hard games. I'm not sure if it's the first, but Touhou Project is the game that defined the "bullet hell" genre. And by bullet hell, I mean something like this: There are players who can beat the hardest difficulties of each game (otherwise those difficulties wouldn't exist, right?), but for the rest of us who can't even beat the game on Normal (Easy-modo is for little kids), there's other ways to get into the series. As expected for such a popular series, there is a massive torrent of fanart and fan-made manga in Japan and the internet (which is how I really got into the series). The lack of an overarching plot or deep character development allows writers to create their own stories and interpretations of the huge cast of creative characters. Fangames run rampant using a lot of fan-made assets. And then, of course, there's the music. Just like with the beatmania IIDX list, I'm only covering songs that I know. This is because just like IIDX, I've barely played any Touhou games at all. Also, this list won't cover the first 5 PC-98 games. For reasons of "I'm too lazy to look into those games." Though a good amount of the fandom does acknowledge their existence (Mima for Touhou 1,000,000, anyone?). Embodiment of Scarlet Devil This is the only Touhou game I have (so far). So I'm a lot more familiar with this game's soundtrack, and it also contains my favorite cast in the series (probably because it's the only cast I'm the most familiar with). That said, I can't even make it to the Stage 5 boss in Normal difficulty. I am weak. Apparitions Stalk the Night ...oh yeah. I should've mentioned that nearly every character in Touhou has some sort of quirk that the fandom made a Memetic Mutation out of. Forgive the randomness of some of the quotes, as they'll usually be that character's memetic catchphrase. Anyways, short theme is short, but it is a good introductory boss fight song to let you know you're only getting a small taste of what's to come. Rumia herself is also an easy intro fight, which may seem strange since her power is the ability to control darkness? Sounds like a final boss ability, right? Too bad Rumia's too much of a hungry idiot to really use it to her fullest. I mean, she gets blinded by her own darkness! Talk about a double-edged sword. Tomboyish Girl in Love Oh Cirno, you lovable (9). Oh, sorry, I meant "idiot." It's the same. Tomboyish Girl in Love has that wintry feeling to it true to Gensokyo's village idiot cyromancer. It also reflects her hard-head toughness (at least for a fairy) that can be a surprise to anyone expecting a real cakewalk against her. Even though Cirno is an idiot, though, that doesn't mean she should be taken lightly (unless you're playing Easy Modo and she fires an Icicle Fail). Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea I very rarely ever consider listening to stage songs since the main meat of Touhou are the boss fights, but just this once, I'd have to agree with the people who say Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea overshadows Meiling's actual theme. It has that majestic and Asian feeling to it for Gensokyo's only Chinese martial artist expert. Though if there's anything I'll never get about Meiling, it's what type of youkai she's supposed to be. We get that she lives far longer than humans do, but even official material says basically nothing about Meiling. Doesn't help that she never appeared in the series again except for the fighting games. Shanghai Alice of Meiji 17 Take the majestic Asian atmosphere of Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea and place it into a battle situation. That's what Shanghai Alice of Meiji 17 basically is. It's a great song and a reminder that after Meiling, the game gets much more serious. Remember this trend, people - every 3rd stage is a wake-up call followed by a brutal 4th stage. Even in spite of this notion, though, the fandom still likes to characterize Meiling as an incompetent gate guard for Scarlet Mansion. Then again, if you had to fight either a miko protagonist that always wins or a magician that can just decide to fire a giant laser at you an any moment, wouldn't you expect to lose, too? Locked Girl ~ The Girl's Secret Room The universe likes to work in balance; become skilled in one trade, and you become worse in another. Patchouli's (no, not the plant) tradeoff happens to be the world's largest library and vast knowledge in literally anything, in exchange for physical health so bad that her magic weakens because her asthma prevents her from chanting any of her spells. As for her theme, it certainly reflects Patchouli's voluntary isolation and her serious coldness. It's beautiful sadness, and I like that. If only she was in better health, though...actually, that would make her outright unstoppable, so maybe she's better off asthmatic! Lunar Clock ~ Luna Dial Oh, hello "DIO homage that did it way before and way better than Zeit!" Let me just say that this is my favorite song in EoSD, because of all the songs in the Touhou series, this one's probably the most action-packed. It's strange, too, since she's only a human maid who happens to have hard rock as her theme. Granted, she can freeze time and aim a flurry of knives directly at you at any instant, so I guess the fast pace makes sense. Oh, one more thing. If you suspect she's anywhere near your vicinity, whatever you do, do not say the "p"-word. She gets a wee bit ticked the moment anyone mentions pad-'(KNIVED)' "In all seriousness, you should've seen that coming." Yes...yes I should've...ow. Septette for the Dead Princess Don't be surprised if you hear any Beethoven in this song. It was intentional. And really, what else could fit the charismatic 500-year old vampire Remilia Scarlet? Well, charismatic as long as she isn't resorting to curling up in a ball to defend herself. Such a classy song, such a great song, such a perfect final boss song. It sends the message to just keep going at all costs, because Remilia certainly won't back down...stupid changing bullets. Also, doesn't the ability to manipulate fate sound a bit overpowered to any of you? Luckily, Remilia's never really used it, so maybe it doesn't matter... The Centennial Festival for Magical Girls This is the most Asian any Touhou song ever gets, and for an Extra Stage for a game about a incident involving an English-based vampire, it's a tad strange. True to its name, though, The Centennial Festival for Magical Girls really does have that festival feeling. Once again strange, for there is no such festival in the mansion, only a descent into the basement and certain doom... U.N. Owen was her? Because Flandre is waiting below! If you don't recognize this song from anywhere (besides Stwarm's page), you haven't been on the internet long enough. Keep lurking, you're missing out! U.N. Owen was her? is a song of duality: on one end, it has hints of Flandre's child-like nature. On the other hand, it's intimidating because of all powers Flandre has, she has the power to destroy anything. ANYTHING. No wonder Remilia had to lock Flandre in the basement. This is what an Extra Stage boss song should feel like - foreboding and imminent doom with the only option of survival being to tough it out. May I also add that the beginning is genius? It may sound like the song's getting faster, but it's only an audio illusion. You're just going insane, thinking it is going faster as the struggle to survive gets real. Flandre's popularity within the fanbase is basically universal. Her amazing theme is one factor, but also her cuteness from the fact that she's still very childish, and the popular interpretations that those 495 years in the basement had some...unsavory mental effects on her. That pretty much sums up the youkai of Gensokyo; sure they look cute, but you won't really be thinking that when they're the last thing you see... Perfect Cherry Blossom A nice cast of characters, a nice soundtrack, and a nice feeling of OHDEARGODTHEREARESOMANYBULLETS. What's not to like about PCB? Diao Ye Zong (Whithered Leaf) For a boss fight song, this song is rather calm and carefree. You know, even I'll admit that fast-paced battle tunes get a bit old after a while. Besides, what else fits the little catgirl who is Chen? Diao Ye Zong reflects a carefree childhood, something that Chen still has and many of us wish we were back in, so in that sense, it's kinda hard to remember that it's a boss song! Yet, we still love it much like the fandom loves Chen. I mean, come on. She's adorable. Doll Judgment ~ The Girl Who Played With People's Shapes Alice Margatroid is rather popular among the fandom, but heck if I know why. Could it be her ability to control people via voodoo dolls? Could it be her attempts at creating dolls with life with the Shanghai and Hourai Dolls? Could it just be Shanghai and Hourai? Could it be her shippability with Marisa (then again, Marisa gets shipped with everyone in Touhou)? Could it be that Marisa keep stealing her precious things (HUR HUR FANDOM JOKE)? Or could it be that she has a theme that reflects her coldness and stays catchy while doing so? It just might be all of the above. Ghostly Band ~ Phantom Ensemble Continuing the tradition of unforgiving learning curves at the 4th stage are the Prismriver sisters. It's rare to have youkai that are based on simple supernatural beings rather than a mythological monster, but the sisters do at least fit the ghost theme for the later half of the game. As for their song, it's amazing. As each sister is assigned a piano, trumpet, and violin, you can tell at what points they come into the song. It's like the sisters are playing their theme as you battle them. Have I mentioned yet that ZUN is a musical genius? Hiroari Shoots a Strange Bird ~ Till When? "Strange." That's an accurate word to describe Youmu. In a world like Gensokyo that's a Fantasy Kitchen Sink, it takes something extra to be the oddball of oddballs, but Youmu, the half-ghost landscaping samurai who incorporates physical attacks into her danmaku patterns, manages to be a good canidate for that award, yet at the same time her straight-woman personality also places her among Gensokyo's "normal" residents. Her theme also qualifies, given its weird name, unusual melody, and tense mood fitting for the next-to-last boss. Also a bit of irony: Youmu doesn't like ghosts. HA! Ultimate Truth Oh hey, Youmu's not finished yet. While she's fighting you to an inch of her half-undead life, this song starts to sink in feelings of impending doom. The heroines have no idea who or how strong the person responsible for stealing spring is, but if it's enough for Youmu to stage a last stand like Sakuya did, she must be strong. And...let's just say Ultimate Truth does not disappoint in getting the threatening feeling across. Bloom Nobly, Ink-Black Cherry Blossoms ~ Border of Life Geez, what's with ZUN and these ridiculously long song titles?! Well, is Border of Life as graceful as ghost princess Yuyuko? Yes. Is it even more tense than Hiroari Shoots a Strange Bird? Yes. So in conclusion, is Border of Life a great final boss song? Yup. And for a boss whose ability is to inflict death upon anything, it has to be good. Granted, Yuyuko never really uses it, and she doesn't like using it either. It's still a frightening thought, though. Remember, Gensokyo's youkai are more dangerous than they let on to being. Border of Life "YES! I beat Yuyuko! Great, now to prepare for Extra-wait, why am I hearing different music? Is...is that Yuyuk-OHGOD!" That was a summation of every player's first reaction to beating Yuyuko. Sure you won, but if Yuyuko goes down, she might as well take you with her! This rearrangement of Border of Life is absolutely amazing as a "last stand" song. Even when the patterns get horrifyingly difficult, this song keeps givng out the hope to persevere, because the only thing standing between you and final victory is surviving Yuyuko's last spell cards. A Maiden's Illusionary Funeral ~ Necro-Fantasy A fast, tense song. Basically what any Extra Stage boss song would be. For Ran, this theme certainly fits her more down-to-earth personality, and it does a good job at being a boss song. Many, however, would make the claim that this song is overshadowed by the next song, especially since they're rearrangements of each other. It makes sense, especially since Ran is a shikigami (an avatar of sorts). Which makes Chen the shikigami of a shikigami. Who's the real master here?! Necrofantasia Answer to the above: Yukari Yakumo. Just to clarify, I like Necro-Fantasy, but... I love Necrofantasia. Again, it's a rearrangement of Necro-Fantasy, but it's a rearrangement that takes the tension of that song and amplifies it into a song worthy of the true final fight. It's not just the situation of facing the true final boss of PCB, but it's also Yukari herself. She has the power to manipulate the boundaries of anything, and unlike most other youkai who have seemingly overpowered powers, Yukari uses it to her heart's content, or at least as long as she's awake. As an example, her most frequent use of her power is creating portal-like gaps upon anything. That's already frightening enough, but when you consider what can be classified as a boundary... Imperishable Night Imperishable Night introduced the mechanic of having both a human player and a youkai player that can be switched out in the middle of the level. The previous two games were made with the intent to introduce enough characters so that players would be familiar with the increased playable cast. Deaf to all but the Song What's this, ZUN? Another low-level youkai who has the power to manipulate darkness? Are you resorting to recycling? I kid, of course. Rumia's just a general youkai, but Mystia's...a sparrow! Deaf to all but the Song has great piano, great electric guitar, and it reflects the tense desperation of fighting Mystia, because unlike Rumia, Mystia actually puts her ability to good use. By that, I mean that she'll reduce your screen vision to a small circle around you while she fire bullets! See? It's tense! Plain Asia '' Plain Asia'' reflects great wisdom and hidden depths. It matches Keine well, as the teacher and were-hakutaku that she is. Hakutakus are some horned beast that consume history (and by that, I mean they can erase it). So yeah, Keine is not a youkai to be taken lightly, and for IN's 3rd boss, that notion fits much too well. Maiden's Capriccio ~ Dream Battle About time since the human protagonists of the series got themes. IN's 4th stage involves having to fight either Reimu or Marisa, depending on who you're playing as. Starting with Reimu, Maiden's Capriccio ~ Dream Battle is a song that certainly gives off that feeling of elegance combined with "you are so dead." The piano on this song is also incredible, and the beginning especially allows you to take the time to realize just how screwed you are. Because honestly, this is Reimu you're fighting here, she's the protagonist of the series, and her homing bullets aren't so nice anymore when you're on the recieving end... Love-coloured Master Spark Marisa, being the less rational of the perpetual protagonist duo, fittingly has a faster-paced theme. The guitar is great, and the song has that general feeling of urgency to win. You never know when she just might decide to throw a Master Spark at you... Lunatic Eyes ~ Invisible Full Moon Poor Reisen, she is only but another subordinate amongst the Lunar kingdom that managed to escape to Earth. However useless you may be, at least you have an awesome theme. It's rather atmospheric, the guitar is, once again, great, and it almost has that sense of seeping insanity. This is to be expected; Reisen has the power to drive people mad just by making them look into her eyes. It's already hard enough to dodge danmaku patterns, now imagine having to do so when there's 50 of you onscreen! Gensokyo Millenium ~ History of the Moon What's a boss song that doesn't sound majestic? Gensokyo Millenium took this question into heart and made itself a theme of vast wisdom. Eirin is an immortal doctor, after all. So many years of living, and you'd know more than what most people do. Then you'd have a theme with a crazy piano that reflects living eternally. Then you'd get involved in a plot to make it night forever just to allow your princess to return to the moon! Whoa. That escalated quickly. Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess Those of you familiar with the folk tale of Princess Kaguya already have a basic idea of Kaguya Houraisan's background in Touhou. And if you are familiar with that folk tale, you're way ahead of me in Touhou character knowledge. I like Lunatic Princess more than I do Gensokyo Millenium, just because it's a little more crazy and a lot faster paced while retaining princess-like elegance. As far as standalone songs go, both are great, but Lunatic Princess fits more as a boss song. At least that's what I think. Voyage 1970 "Ha! Take that, Eirin/Kaguya! Now give back the moon-wait, what's going on? Why are the both of you here? OH GOD, NOT AGAIN!" The trend of Last Word Spell Cards continues from Imperishable Night onwards, and in this case it also fits perfectly. Both Eirin and Kaguya are clever and powerful immortals, so it's no surprise they would be going at full power in their last stand. Voyage 1970 conveys that well, yet it also conveys a feeling of triumph as regardless of whether or not the protagonist survives the Last Word, dawn will break, and the moon shall return as if nothing had happened. Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke The previous two Extra Stage boss themes had a sense of urgency and of a never-ending battle with a thin thread between success and doom. Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke sacrifices the urgency for the beauty of the piano, but it still has that sense of a tough, tough battle. This is to be expected; Mokou is a phoenix youkai who is essentially immortal, so of course she won't back down since she can't know death. Actually, Mokou does die a lot, she just regenerates every time. Phoenixes. Go figure. Another thing of note: Mokou's somehow involved in something that happened to Kaguya that started a grudge between them. Of course, since both of them are immortal and never tuly die, there's no telling if they'll ever stop or if there will be a clear winner any day... Phantasmagoria of Flower Viewing Okay, I'm not gonna lie: I had next-to-no idea that this game existed since I got into the Touhou fandom. I mean, I know there was a new cast for this one, but it's...not that notable. Flowering Night Hey, Sakuya, looks like you got another theme! In heavy contrast to Lunar Clock ~ Luna Dial, Flowering Night has more "maid" elegance and rock. A sacrifice I'm a little saddened over, but it's honestly not that much of a loss. It's certainly catchier, more complex, and some people recognize this more as Sakuya's true theme than Lunar Clock. To each their own. Fate of Sixty Years Okay, me-from-the-past, riddle me this... Why did you skip out on ''Fate of Sixty Years?!'' Seriously, why did I, and how could I? I feel ashamed for having not mentioned this song. Its melody has beauty and majesty to it, as well as a hint of pure power. This is to be expected, as Shikieiki is another one of Gensokyo's most overpowered youkai. Her power is the ability to judge based on the simple concept of black and white, and she presides over where a soul goes based on its former life. Fitting that a strong theme goes to a strong youkai, right? Mountain of Faith Right...Mountain of Faith. I don't actually have that much to talk about right off the bat. Let's just skip to the songs. The Gensokyo the Gods Loved AKA Gensokyo's unofficial theme. Seriously, what this is doing as a mere stage theme is beyond me since it's just so beautiful. So uplifting. So carefree. Kinda like most of the youkai who live there. Nothing else to say, I guess. Just listen to it. Faith is for the Transient People What can I say about the miko of the other religious shrine of Gensokyo who would steal the playable spot from Sakuya for several games to come? Not much, apart from the fact that she's slightly base-breaking. But hey, she does have a sweet theme. Faith is for the Transient People has an emotional piano and a hard driven beat that helps the electric guitar fit in. Yet another nice battle tune, and the beats easily translate into hard rock (this will be important for the fan rearrangements). The Venerable Ancient Battlefield ~ Suwa Foughten Field Kanako is a war goddess, so her theme's title makes sense. Suwa Foughten Field reflects a war scene: everywhere you go, there is nothing but tension. There is no room for error, otherwise you'll be killed. Will there an end? Suddenly, everything begins to calm down. But within, you know the worst is yet to come. It's only the calm before the storm. Wait, did I just describe a war battle or a danmaku duel? Suddenly they sound the same... Native Faith To tell you the truth, this was the very first Touhou song I ever heard, but it was a NicoNicoDouga remix of the ending to Death Note (which I can't find anymore these days, I think it was called "Matsuda Faith"). So I never really thought about it for a while, even when I did listen to the actual song by itself. Now that I do understand Touhou, my love for Native Faith...certainly hasn't diminished. The piano in particular is nothing short of epic, creating a scene of simultaneous grace and desperation. It's just...good. Darn good. Good darn. Darn. Good. Scarlet Weather Rhapsody Normally, I don't really bother too much with the fighting game spinoffs' soundtracks. Since the cast is all characters from the past games with only about one or two new characters as bosses, the soundtracks comprise mostly of remixes of characters' themes by other musicians. ZUN still gets claims on the boss themes, though. Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven Psst...the catasrophe mentioned in that title is Tenshi, the celestial that doesn't act like one in the slightest bit. Her theme reflects her child-like nature as a spoiled brat wanting to find something fun to do. Hey, heaven isn't so great to live in if it's all you've ever lived in, especially if it doesn't have any of the things our world has. Also placed in her theme are hints of elegance, or at least what elegance Tenshi should've had as a celestial. Bhava-agra As Seen Through a Child's Mind "Yeah! Take that, Tenshi! Now if you'll be as so kind as to stop the earthquak-Wait, what's with that flash? Why are we ascending? What are you-OH GOD WHY DO I KEEP NOT EXPECTING THIS" It wouldn't be Touhou without the final boss's last stand. And boy, does Tenshi make a last stand: by taking the fight into the Earth's outer atmosphere! Bhava-agra As Seen Though a Child's Mind, as a remix of Tenshi's normal theme, reflects much more of Tenshi's elegance, and also the player character's desperation to end the fight once and for all. Not quite as triumphant as Border of Life, but that wasn't the intention anyhow. Unlike the previous last stands of Touhou bosses, this is one where you can truly lose. Subterranean Animism I think it's thanks to kaaragetarou's "Chirei de" series that I now have a major appreciation for the Subterranean Animism cast. Satori Maiden ~ 3rd Eye An eerie tune, yet that feeling is appropriate given that you're fighting one of the "managers" of Hell, so to speak. There's that bit of classical elegance laced throughout the song that fits Satori's high status and how one-sided the battle will turn if you don't beat her fast enough. That third eye isn't for show, after all. Lullaby of Deserted Hell Sometimes I wonder why I tend to ignore the stage themes in each game, because occasionally there's hidden gems like this. Lullaby of Deserted Hell feels like a lonely dance song with the howling winds and folk guitars. Actually, this is based on the "Scarborough Fair" ballad, which explains why it feels so vindicated. Well, it is Hell, so it might as well be ancient. Corpse Voyage ~ Be of Good Cheer! It's hard to be of good cheer when Orin is such a tough boss... Corpse Voyage is tense enough to fit the next-to-last boss, yet upbeat enough to fit its title telling us to, well, be of good cheer. I probably should've mentioned that Gensokyo's Hell is...different. Hence why cheery catgirls are the corpse wheelers. Either ZUN was really drunk when he made up Orin or there's some really obscure youkai she's based on that I have no idea about... Solar Sect of Mystic Wisdom ~ Nuclear Fusion A mighty, intimidating final boss theme. I mean, this is a Hell raven youkai who has the power to control nuclear fusion and a relatively evil motive compared to most of the other bosses only having petty motivations, so it only makes sense for the birdbrain. Yeah, all that knowledge and power of nuclear fusion, and absolutely no clue about anything else. Way to be an idiot savant, Utsuho. Anyways, Nuclear Fusion is...well I already said it. It's intimidating for a final boss theme, something rather rare for Touhou and especially considering that nuclear fusion may be a good power, but compared to the abilities to inflict death, manipulate boundaries, or destroy anything, it's not the strongest power out there. Then again, Utsuho is capable of firing the largest bullets in Touhou history (more like explosions than bullets, anyways), so that feeling of helplessness is still appropriate. And it's totally welcome. Nuclear Fusion is a final boss song that feels like a final boss song. Last Remote This is probably one of the best Extra Stage themes ZUN has made. It's beautiful, yet chaotic, going back and forth between frantic beats and atmospheric piano melodies. Like a child exploring the world purely by whim. It's a fitting image considering the extra boss of SA. There's also a hint of despair hidden in the song, potentially referring to the despair Koishi herself might have felt before her...disconnection. Look up her backstory if you want to know - it's kinda sad. Hartmann's Youkai Girl Wait, which "Hartmann" are we talking about here? And does it matter, anyways? I don't think either actual Hartmann has anything to do with Touhou, or Flandre 2.0 here for that matter! I (mostly) kid about the "Flandre 2.0" thing. Only mostly because Hartmann's Youkai Girl and Koishi both have hints of the irrationality that Flandre has. The song, true to the subconscious-acting satori it belongs to, is almost all over the place in terms of atmosphere. It also happens to be a musical anagram, which means that if you play it backwards, you get almost the same song! Check it out: .smaerd tnasaelP Great Fairy Wars This was a rather groundbreaking game for the series. First, Cirno was the main character, and second, it was the origin of the "nineball" meme associated with her. Magus Night How fitting for a game where Cirno's the main character that Marisa's the Extra boss. Sure, it's still the same Marisa with the same not-so-serious personality (and does she honestly have to take Cirno seriously?), but remember, you're playing as Cirno. Hence why Magus Night sounds so tense; the fight is in Cirno's perspective. And the worst part is...Marisa's (mostly) holding back. Just for Cirno. Take that as you will. Unidentified Fantastic Object Yet another religion enters Gensokyo, but instead of living goddesses, it's Buddhism! Also, UFOs keep showing up from out of nowhere. Who knows why... A Tiny, Tiny Clever Commander It's been a while since we ever got any 1st stage bosses who had really cool themes, so leave it to Nazrin to bring back that trait! The electric guitar is awesome, the violin is awesome, and the piano is certainly awesome as well. A Tiny, Tiny Clever Commander is such a great song, and only for a mouse youkai. It's a theme that gets the game going on a high note. Beware the Umbrella Left There Forever If I were to pick my favorite youkai from the Touhou series, it would have to be Kogasa. First off, her theme is rather good. It's not quite Necrofantasia's level, but it's still catchy and has a slightly somber tone to it, reflecting Kogasa's origins as an abandoned umbrella. There's the other reason why Kogasa's my favorite: she's aborably and sympathetically ineffectual. Even though surprising people is Kogasa's ability, she is nine times out of the ten not good at it at all. This, along with her backstory of being abandoned, just makes you feel sorry for her. She, however, refuses to let any of it get to her and just keep trying to scare everyone, so she also has that "loser charm" to her. That and she's basically harmless for a youkai, given her ability is only to surprise people; a major plus when cuter youkai like Flandre are much more likely to kill you within a minute. The Tiger-Patterned Vaisravana Or as everyone else calls it, "CURVY LASERS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" A rather serious sounding theme, and for the fact that Shou is a nightmare on curvy laser wheels, the sentiment is appropriate. The guitars add some nice tensions and the trumpets invoke a sense of majesty for the disciple of Bishtamon. Fires of Hokkai ...WHOA. This is a final stage theme. Fires of Hokkai is filled with much more emotion than most of the other songs on this list and in the Touhou series. The heartbeats at the start are well used, and the piano and trumpets are heavily loaded, giving you an idea of what eternity feels like. It's the kind of song that, as you listen, makes you wonder, "Is there still a reason for me to keep fighting?" And for the final boss it's for, Fires of Hokkai fits that thought so well. Emotional Skyscraper ~ Cosmic Mind "Emotional Skyscraper" is right. This is such a great follow-up to Fires of Hokkai, delivering once again in beauty and emotion. At some point, you'll almost feel bad for having to battle Byakuren, whether its her background story or the fact that her ideology is one of the only ideologies in Gensokyo that is entirely good. Emotional Skyscraper ~ Cosmic Mind illustrates Byakuren's life story so greatly, it's up there with Necrofantasia and the rest of Touhou's musical greats. Always remember to respect Byakuren Youchrist - she was sealed for our sins(?). Heian Alien Seriously, though, doesn't this sound a lot like U.N. Owen was her?? Anyways, the source of all the UFOs that keep showing up in this game is none other than Nue, who has control over unidentified flying objects and the ability to be unidentifiable herself. Heian Alien's hectic tone reflects just how dangerous Nue is - she's one of those youkai who's hostile to humans, and the fact that she has the ability to be unidentifiable doesn't help, either... Ten Desires It's kinda hard for me to remember that this game exists. Not that it's worse than the other games, but for me, it's just my least favorite soundtrack and least favorite new cast out of the normal games. But there's still songs I can enjoy here. Rigid Paradise Such a lively song for someone who's...you know, dead. The beginning gives me a bit of a Crash 3 vibe with how Egyptian it sounds, but then the rest of the song goes back to quite an energy-filled tune for ZUN's style. Chinese vampires (jiang shi) are cooler than regular zombies to me. You can control them with talismans! We need more of these instead of those cliched and overdone "just add zombies" expansion packs for games. Shoutoku Legend ~ True Administrator This is a final boss song. No question about it. It doesn't quite feel as powerful as the earlier ones, but there's no other place for it. It goes between majestic and aggressive, which many a final boss song should do. The majeticness is what keeps it from fitting anywhere but the final boss, and it fits the Crown Prince. Oh yeah, Miko used to be a guy. Reincarnation can be a REDACTED like that. Futatsuiwa from Sado For once we finally get an Extra boss theme that isn't psychopathic or overblown in power. Mamizou is that kind of youkai who would beat you down and still look like a cool jerkwad the whole time. Her theme is a reflection of this - it tells you she's ready take on anyone any time and tick them off like nobody's business. Where does she get the nerve to troll her opponent in the midst of battle, anyway? ...oh yeah, she's a tanuki, and tanukis have...well, just look up what a tanuki is. It's pretty hilarious that she is one. There shan't be any guys in Gensokyo after all (except for Rinnosuke, but who cares about him?). Hopeless Masquerade Another fighting game, another soundtrack worth of remixes that I'll ignore. Let's skip on to the boss song that ZUN was responsible for. The Lost Emotion Kokoro's reason for being involved in the fighting (and why the incident in HM happened in the first place) is to find the Mask of Hope she lost. And appropriately, The Lost Emotion is completely devoid of hope. It's tense, it's intimidating and it's beautiful, but there's no feeling of escaping the darkness. Double Dealing Character I'll be honest, after UFO, I was still somehow able to keep track of the characters, but I lost track of the soundtracks. Which is a shame, because ZUN seems incapable of ceasing to create great music. Dullahan Under the Willows I find the oddest characters to like in...basically anything, and Sekibanki fits that description. I should explain: she's sort of a dullahan in that her head can come off, but that's all she has in common with the creature. Instead of a curse, she has the ability to replicate her head and have each of them conscious and functioning. Maybe I like her because I just like odd and unconventional (but not entirely useless) powers. It could also be that her theme is really cool and tense for a 2nd boss. Much like her cool-''headed'' attitude. Lonesome Werewolf Is it just me, or does DDC have a really good cast of characters? I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this thought; Kagerou is perhaps the most popular character from DDC. Not surprising considering she's essentially Awoo~ 2.0 (Awoo~ 1.0 was Momiji, who unfortunately does not have a theme), and she's actually a bit scared of humans rather than humans being scared of her. Oh yeah, her theme's also cool, too. ZUN really felt the need to belt out the guitars for DDC, it seems. Reverse Ideology This song...it's terrible. I can tell you exactly why I hate it. The tense battle mood it includes does not fit sweet little Seija at all. I mean just look at her. Doesn't she look like someone you can trust? Doesn't she look like someone that wouldn't confuse people with her flipping abilities? Heck, she used it on me, and I don't notice anything wro-hey wait a minute... ¡∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀∀ſIƎS Kobito of the Shining Needle ~ Little Princess Compared to vampires, ghosts that can inflict death, nine-tailed foxes, Yukari, immortal doctors/princesses, phoenixes, gods, nuclear hell ravens, subconscious-acting satoris, sealed Bhudda priests, nues, sealed Taoist princes, and a tanuki, inchlings don't exactly feel like final boss material. Yet here's Sukuna anyways, and here's her theme, which you wouldn't expect to be much for someone so small. And yes, Kobito of the Shining Needle isn't good. IT'S AMAZING. The instrumentation is varied well, the tone is ironically big, and the melody gives off that feeling of wanting freedom from oppression. What else is there to say? Just listen to it right now. Legacy of Lunar Kingdom Woot, new game. Which means this is also the end of the line for the canon Touhou songs, at least for this list. The Rabbit Has Landed Hm...nope, can't think of any good way to tie the song's name to NASA banter. Oh well. Well, for a game taking place on the moon, go figure that at least one of the bosses would be a lunar rabbit, right? On that note, poor Seiran. As if it wasn't enough that her name's an ambigram of the unfortunate Reisen, her ability is next to useless in the Touhou world. Shooting bullets from another dimension sounds cool, yes, but remember that everyone else can just create and shoot bullets on their own. At least she has a cool theme. It's got a nice vibe fitting for an early boss. September Pumpkin You'd think that having another lunar rabbit would cancel out the novelty of the character type, but Ringo manages to be confusing enough by herself to be unique. Her name's Japanese for "Apple," but her theme and appearence imply pumpkins, and her trademark favorite food is dango! What is she, even?! Well, as for her theme itself, it's a bit calmer than The Rabbit Has Landed, plus it has a really beautiful piano. The Wheel of Fortune Turning Over Rebel 1...ACTION!-Oh wait, wrong game... Like I said with DDC, I shall say again, Legacy of Lunar Kingdom has a really interesting cast. In this case, Sagume's a super amanojaku, so unlike Seija who only says the opposite of what she means and flip things, Sagume can say anything about the current situation and the universe will go out of its way to turn what's about to happen in the opposite direction of what she said. Maybe she said "My theme is terrible," and that's why The Wheel of Fortune Turning Over is on this list. Her theme feels high-ranking and powerful, fitting for such a Lunarian with a dangerous power. What's that, Sagume, you wanna say something? Sure...what is it..? "As long as you keep your head in it, you can accomplish anything! You'll do great!" ...uh oh. Pierrot of the Star-Spangled Banner ZUN, just what and how much were you drinking when you came up with Clownpiece? I could go on all day about this fairy. From her ridiculously hard danmaku patterns giving players PTSD to the fact that she is the 'MURICA fairy in a Touhou game. Needless to say she became a fan-favorite fast. As for Pierrot of the Star-Spangled Banner, it fits her ability to inflict insanity upon others. Guess she managed to use it on the fandom, or rather, her very concept did that for her. Pure Furies ~ Whereabouts of the Heart People say that Little Princess set the bar too high for Pure Furies to ever hope to reach, but I say this theme does its job well. For the master of purity that Junko is, the not-too-ambitious melody works out, plus the pure intensity of the song itself sets the stage appropriately for such a final boss fight. No flashy color schemes, no gimmicky bullet types, just pure danmaku patterns. Arranges So many they needed their own page. Seriously. So that's all for Touhou, at least for now. The arranges are on another page because there is that many. As for this page, who knows? Maybe when ZUN makes another game I'll update it. That or maybe, just maybe, I'll start adding the PC-98 games and ZUN's official albums. - Scottick Category:Blog posts